Massmart is a public company listed on the JSE Limited which describes itself as “a South African-based, globally competitive regional management group, invested in a portfolio of differentiated, complimentary, focused wholesale and retail formats focused on the distribution of mainly branded consumer goods for cash”. In 2010, Walmart acquired a 51% stake in the Group, resulting in the alignment of Massmart to the Walmart principle of “saving customers money so they can live better.”

Massmart was founded in 1990 on the back of successful trading by the Makro Group, which consisted of six wholesalers. The Group grew aggressively throughout the 1990s and the first decade of the 2000s (mainly through acquisitions) and was listed on the JSE in 2000.

Massmart, headed by CEO Guy Hayward, now comprises four divisions, Massdiscounters, Masswarehouse, Massbuild and Masscash, and is one of South Africa’s largest retail entities operating in 13 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.